Forbidden Love
by Redwallfreak108
Summary: What happens when two mice from rival villages fall in love? This is a story of how these two lovers fight against all the odds to be together. Read and Review plez! Rated T for violence and mild language.
1. Prologue

(**A/N: A new one from me! This one will probably be much shorter than _Love and Trouble_. I actually started this story years ago and posted it on another fanfic website. Well, it was poorly written so I redid it and I'm actually much happier with it now. I actually took the characters and places from _Undefeated _and made a whole new story. So try not to compare the stories 'cuz neither will make any sense whatsoever if you do so. So here it is: _Fobbidden Love_!)**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Redwall. But I do own several characters in this story.**

_**Forbidden Love**_

**_Prologue_**

There were once two villages. One named the Tangers and the other one called the Langis. Both of them used to be one until a problem came up between the two. No one knew how small things called pride and stubbornness could break a village in half but even after that, they constantly called wars on each other. Rules were made that the two villages were not allow to communicate unless there was a war going on, but even then, there had to be the least amount of contact between them. There was also a rule that a maid from one village and a male from the other village were not allowed to have any communication or relationship whatsoever. Things were said that if there was such a situation, both would be brutally punished as if they had committed a heinous crime. Each village, whether it was the Tangers or the Langis, thought that they were superior to the other.

In each of these villages, they had their own rulers and their own armies. They had purposely changed their clothing and customs in order to avoid any confusion between the villages. For the Tangers, they were more conservative. The Langis, however, were freer with the clothes that they wore. The creatures in both villages wore simple clothes but the designs and colors were different. The Tangers most commonly wore blue, white, green or gray colors. The Langis wore black, purple, brown, or turquoise colors. The armies had their own uniforms, which by just looking at them; you can tell who's a Tanger or a Langi.

Before all this had happened, the wars, the prideful, egotistic feelings had taken over them; they used to be one huge village that was known as Sunvale. There was a time they used to all get along and used to have one system, culture, and customs, but all of that had disappeared. Taken over by foolishness and stubbornness, they separated and became bitter towards one another. They didn't think twice before making such a decision. Mice, squirrels, hedgehogs, shrews and moles were separated from one another, creatures from the same species and a lot of relationships were ruined. Friends got separated because of their personal beliefs and thoughts. All of this happened and no one had thought of stopping it. Why, you ask? Well, some were too afraid, but most of them were happy to separate from the others they learned to hate, that they had been taught to hate.

Will it ever change? No one knew for sure. There were many creatures that were dying for nothing, for foolish wars that had no meaning. Lots of creatures were praying and hoping for the situation to improve and also for one of the villages' surrender, but that was not the case. It was and still is an unending war. And to think that two young creatures, both with their own share of problems, would overlook all of this just to be together, just to love each other and just to even see each other. Their story is an odd one. After going through things worse than hell, they finally get the happiness that they deserved but only after a bitter general in the Langi Army, who could ruin anyone's life just to get his happiness and his way, would be overthrown and destroyed…

**(A/N: Short I know but I promise that if I get reviews I will make them much longer. Thanks for reading! R&R!**


	2. Preparations and Battle

**(A/N: Ok here it is--- chapter two!!! Thanks for reviewing and sorry for the late update....I'm in college so I won't be able to update as quickly as I would like to but here it is FINALLY!)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Redwall but I do own the characters and places in this story!**

**Chapter One: Preparations and Battle **

It was early morning, about an hour after dawn. Both villages were wide awake and preparing for yet another war. The only ones who knew the reasons for all the battles and wars were the Chieftains of the villages and the Generals of both armies. The reason for this battle, well, you can say that the generals from both the armies had it out with one another and declared war soon after.

* * *

Langi Territory

A pretty mousemaid rushed around a room gathering all kinds of herbs and bandages. She wore the typical colors of her kind: black pants with a long sleeve purple shirt that had black flower designs and a black belt. She also wore a lighter purple scarf and black boots. She was quite young but was very talented in the ways of a healer. She overlooked all the items on the table and then began packing the items in her haversack along with a canteen filled with water.

"Bryana, are you in here?"

An older male mouse walked in the room. He wore a black uniform with a brown belt. A sword hung at his side. A small smile was plastered on his strong face. The turquoise stripes and the many medals on his uniform gave away his title as General of the Langi Army. General Matthew Sarmana.

"Hello, Father, I was just gathering medical supplies so I could be ready when the battle starts," said the mousemaid.

"Ah, that's my girl!" Matthew said with a hint of pride in his voice, "Now, you be careful out there on the battlefield, you hear me? There's no telling what those disgusting Tangers will do if they catch a pretty maid like you. And you are my daughter, after all, knowing that no-good-thinks-he-knows-it-all young rip that calls himself GENERAL will try anything to get back at me! Ugh, you be careful, you hear me?"

Bryana stifled a laugh, "Oh, Father, I don't know why you always fight with General Rasakaro so much! Why do you hate him so much?"

Matthew shook his head, "He is a Tanger and I am a Langi. We are born to hate each other," Matthew put a paw on his daughter's shoulder, "Look, dear, the sooner you accept that those disgusting Tangers are no good, the better you'll be off. We've hated their kind for generations and so it shall remain."

The sound of somebeast banging a drum rang out through the village. Matthew turned toward the sound briefly and then back to Bryana.

"It's time. Hurry up with those supplies and I will see you soon."

Bryana nodded. "Be careful, Father."

"You too, love."

With that Matthew walked out of the room, while Bryana carefully and quickly packed the rest of her supplies. She grabbed a dagger lying on a stool and put it through her belt. Sighing loudly, she walked out of the room, mentally preparing herself for the upcoming danger.

* * *

Tanger Territory

Just like the Langi, the Tangers were also rapidly preparing for the battle as well. Just as Bryana was doing, a pretty squirrelmaid was also gathering her medical supplies. She wore a blue dress with a white belt and white sandals. At her side, she also had a dagger. She packed up her supplies and shouldered her haversack. She walked through the villages nodding at creatures she knew until she finally approached a training field where the Tanger Army was preparing for the battle.

A young mouse approached her. He wore a blue and gray uniform with a white T-shirt underneath it, and a white belt. At his side, a sword also hung. He also had stripes and medals, except for the fact that his stripes were brown and not turquoise like the Langi. He was the top of his class in fact, and excelled as a soldier more than any mouse that had ever served in the army before. His title was General Danial (Dan) Rasakaro. He grinned and winked at the squirrelmaid.

"Morning to you, Natasha, ready for the battle?" He asked cheerfully.

"You're the only one that I know that'd be happy at time like this. It's a war, Dan," she said with a frown.

"Hey," Dan said, "I just want to teach that damn Sarmana a lesson. Come on, turn that frown upside down!"

"You are such a dork, sometimes, you know that?"

"What did I say? Just trying to cheer you up. The troop is even happier than you, geez."

Natasha was about to argue back when a male mouse and a male squirrel approached them. They had a uniform similar to Dan's but were much simpler.

"General, the troop is all ready to go," the squirrel said.

"Thanks Ron," Dan said. He turned to the mouse, "Ricky, will you come with me for a moment please? Ron, keep an eye on the troop for me, will ya?"

"Yes, sir!" they chorused and saluted smartly.

Dan wrinkled his nose at them but let a smile slip.

"I'm letting that one go this time. You two make me feel old."

Ron and Ricky looked at one another.

"You are older than us....isn't he?"

"Yea, he is...so that means its ok for us to call you 'sir'"

Dan groaned, "You know I hate it...."

He grabbed a protesting Ricky by the arm and dragged him off, leaving Natasha and Ron alone. He stole a glance at the pretty squirrelmaid, noticing how her dress brought out her deep blue eyes. Feeling quite brave, he slyly put an arm around the squirrelmaid. Natasha just stared at him.

"Has anybeast ever told you that are beautiful, especially in that dress? It really brings out your eyes...."

Natasha smiled a little too sweetly, "Thank you, Ron, that's very kind of you to say."

"Well, 'tis true."

"Hey, I got an idea."

"What is it?" Ron asked, turning her towards him, pulling her closer and wrapping his arms around her waist.

Natasha fluttered her long eyelashes prettily, "Hmm, how about....."

"Yes?"

"How about you..."

"Me..." he said, pulling her closer.

"You...."

"Me..."

"You...you," her smile finally disappeared, "You let go of me before I make it impossible for you to have any children," she said in a deadly voice.

Ron looked down and saw that she had her dagger near a "sensitive" area. He hastily let her go and backed away. Natasha put her dagger away and smirked at the flustered squirrel.

"That was close, no? Next time there won't be a warning," She threatened.

Ron gulped but didn't say anything. Dan and Ricky finally came back and looked at the squirrels in confusion. Natasha had a small smirk on her face and Ron just looked seriously embarrassed. Ron smiled weakly at the mice," I'm just gonna go check on the troop."

Dan nodded and then looked at Natasha again.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked.

"What was that about, Tasha?" Ricky asked, "What'd you do to him? Squirrel looked damn frightened!"

"I did nothing," she sneered, "He brought it on himself."

Dan was about to answer back when an alarm suddenly went off. He rushed over to where his troop waited. The Langi were making their move! Dan shouted out orders and led the troop out to the battlefield. It was a long grassy area that was stained by the blood of many innocent creatures. It had trees surrounding the fields and that is where the healers on both sides hid until the battle began. Both troops awaited orders from their generals. A brief wave of paws and they clashed!

Both armies fought against each other hard and long. Bryana and Natasha ran around the battlefield, defending themselves when needed and also tending to their own. The battle had actually become the bloodiest of them all. Bodies of mice, squirrels, moles and shrews littered the grounds. Bryana glanced around the field anxiously looking for any creatures that she could tend to. She usually wasn't affected by the horrors of war, but this one was too much even for her. She leaned against a tree and took a couple of deep breaths. She regained herself in time to see the two generals in a terrible sword lock, both bleeding in multiple places. She gritted her teeth and quickly got out of the way as two squirrels came out of nowhere, tackling each other down. She winced as the Tanger squirrel beheaded the Langi one. He smirked and ran off in another direction to help one of his comrades. She looked back at her father's battle with the much younger and more agile general. They slashed at each other, skillfully exchanging blocks and hits. All of the sudden though, Matthew started yelling, "Pure Breed! Pure Breed!" Dan started to circle him, though was slightly confused at his opponent's sudden yelling. His look of confusion quickly turned to horror as soon as he realized fire arrows were coming out of nowhere and hitting Tanger soldiers. He narrowly dodged a fire arrow and got up quickly after that, angered greatly by the trick. He knew that he had no choice but to retreat, otherwise, he would lose the remainder of his army.

"You win this battle, Sarmana, but I swear next time, you will pay!"

Matthew cackled wickedly, "Go and hide, Rasakaro, you already lost this battle. Run; Run with your tail between your legs. Hahahahahaha I told you you'd never beat me!"

Even though the Tangers were retreating, the Langis kept on shooting at them. Panic filled Dan as he realized he had to get his troop out of there, even if it costs him his life. He quickly ushered those that he could to safety staying in the back so no living creature could be left behind.

Bryana ran out in the field and gasped in horror, "Dad, Dad, why are they still shooting?! The Tangers are retreating, Dad! This isn't fair! This isn't right!"

Matthew laughed and patted his daughter's head, "Everything's fair when it comes to war, sweetheart. That will teach 'em not to mess with us! Batter and burn, Tangers!"  
At that moment, right then and there, Bryana realized how cruel her father really was. He wasn't at all as kind as she thought he was. He was no better than vermin! She felt at that moment that she didn't know who he was anymore and that scared her more than the whole war itself.....

**(A/N: That's a wrap! Told you the chapters would be much longer. Anyways, the "forbidden lovers" are meeting in the next chapters! So you know what to do! R&R!!!)**


	3. Lovers Meet

**(A/N: OK I made a mistake last chapter in the author's note: this is chapter two, that was chapter one! Yea I know, it's been a while *cowers from angry readers* IT WASN'T MY FAULT! OK maybe it was...wait I have to tell you guys my other mistake on chapter one: Dan has green stripes not brown (that's a Langi color; I'm surprised no one caught that....) OK enough of my ramblings!! And like promised: the lovers meet in this chapter *jumps for joy* SO HERE IT IS: ENJOY!!!!)**

**Chapter Two: Lovers Meet**

Dan leaned against a tree, holding his side, an arrow sticking out and a mask of pain on his face.

'I need to get back to Tanger Territory before any Langi sees me,' he thought, wearily.

He weakly tried to stand up straight but immediately collapsed. He looked at the arrow in his side and groaned loudly. He unsheathed his bloody sword and tried to use it as a walking stick. He couldn't understand why an arrow was making him so weak. Then again, Matthew had this arrow pointed specifically at him... Sure, he had many other cuts and bruises along with a slash across his chest, but that wasn't too deep and all the other wounds weren't serious at all. So why was it making him so weak?

'Damn,' he mentally cursed himself for allowing this to happen. Everybeast was gone, he knew that. He purposely had stayed behind the army to make sure the survivors from the battle made it away from the fire arrows.

Dan's ears perked when he heard a rustle in the bushes nearby, "Who's there?" he asked painfully, "Show yourself!"

Out of the bushes came out a beautiful mousemaid. She slowly approached Dan. He stared at her and then realized: "You're a Langi..."

"Yes, and you're a Tanger..." she said softly, then, "You're injured, let me help you."

Dan raised an incredulous eyebrow, "Why would you help me? I'm your enemy."

She shook her head ruefully, "You haven't harmed me, and so I have no need to consider you my enemy. Besides that, you are injured. Please," she said, moving closer, "I'm a healer, let me help you. I've seen enough deaths on both sides to last me a lifetime. Please?"

Dan tried to stand up but failed once again. The mousemaid rushed to him and pulled the sword from his weakened grip. She wrinkled her nose at the blood that seemed to coat the mighty sword. Dan looked at her suspiciously.

"Don't worry, I'll put it aside safely and most definitely won't use it on you."

"Why are you helping me, Langi?"

"I told you: I'm a healer. It's what I do. And by the way, my name is Bryana. What's yours?"

Bryana pretended she didn't know who he was but she knew very well who this mouse was. He was her father's mortal enemy; the one he hated the most in this world. Yet here she was, helping him. She didn't know why, but just that it was the right thing to do...

"Dan. My name is Dan."

"Nice to meet you," she said with a small smile. As she examined the arrow at his side, however, her smile faded. Dan saw that and asked, "What? What happened?"

He groaned again, "I need to get you somewhere else. Somewhere safe," Bryana said, "And I think I know just the place...but first, we need to get this poisoned arrow out of you."

"Poison arrow? Ah, damn Sarmana!"

Bryana arranged his body so that he was sitting up slightly with his back against a tree. She undid the jacket of his uniform and cut his white shirt away from the arrow with her dagger. She examined the wound and noticed that the poison was rapidly spreading. She ripped the scarf off her neck and tore it in half, wrapping each strap of cloth around her paws.

"Brace yourself, Dan. It's gonna hurt like hell gates!"

"I'll be fine, just git this arrow outta my side!"

Bryana nodded and pulled out the arrow in one try. Dan let out a painful groan. His eyelids started to grow heavy.

"Uh, uh, stay awake, hey, Dan, stay with me!" she shook him and he wearily opened his eyes, "Come on," she said, pulling him up and putting his arm around her shoulders, "Let's go."

"Where?" he asked, weakly.

"Somewhere safe," Was the perky response.

Dan felt his arm around the mousemaid's shoulders. He took in her sweet scent and leaned against her even though he was still wondering why this Bryana was helping him. He felt his face lean into her neck. Bryana looked down at him.

"Mmm...You smell so good..." he murmured in her neck.

She still heard him though and sighed, "The poison is getting to you. We're almost there, just a little longer..."

"It's OK. I don't mind," he said, grinning painfully yet mischievously. Hey, it wasn't everyday he had a pretty mousemaid holding him this close before. Then again, he never paid much attention to maids that much before today. He was a workaholic, so he never really bothered...It's not that no maid wanted him or anything like that...He heard Bryana sigh loudly and then thought, 'Well, she is pretty so she must have male mice hitting on her like mad...'

"OK, here we are!" Bryana interrupted his thoughts and he strained his eyes and saw a small hut sitting on a small hill, which he never noticed that he went up leaning against the mousemaid.

'Ha, I was too busy thinking about her to notice...wow the poison must really be getting to me...'

"This doesn't belong to either the Tangers or Langi. In fact, this isn't in any territory... I found it a couple of months ago. No beast knows about it except me and now, you. Come on, let's get you inside."

Bryana pulled the door open awkwardly and closed it behind her with her footplate. She laid him in a bed on the left side of the hut and scurried around, gathering herbs, bandages, and whatever else she could find and placed it on a table. She dragged the table near the bed and began working on him.

* * *

Ron and Ricky scanned the infirmary room.

"Where is he?"

They looked at each bed while briskly walking through the room. Natasha spotted them and walked up to them, despite her heavy work load.

"Hey, are you guys looking for someone?" she asked.

"Is Dan here? Nobeast's seen him since the battle..."

Natasha shook her head, "No, haven't seen him. He has to be here somewhere, though, he should be fine..."

"You don't know that for sure," Ricky said, now worried, "What, what if he's dead?"

"What?! Don't you say that Ricky!" Natasha exclaimed.

"What if I'm right?"

"You're not!"

"He's not invincible, Natasha! He can die!"

"OK! Hey, stop it, you two! This is no time to argue," Ron exclaimed, interrupting them, "Natasha, don't worry, we'll find him soon, OK?"

He took her paws in his and squeezed it warmly and she nodded, tearfully. Ricky rolled his eyes, 'He's just saying that 'cuz he doesn't want to upset her...' he thought. Ron turned and nodded at Ricky and they both left the infirmary.

"We should tell the Chief that Dan's missing..." Ricky said.

"You're right...We should..."

So, they started to walk to the center of the village where the chief's home was. The chief's home was easily distinguishable from all the other houses surrounding it as well as the market place, where all the Tanger creatures bought food, clothes, etc. Some of the Tangers nodded respectably at them as they walked through the market place. They finally approached the door of the chief's home and knocked solemnly. A very young squirrelmaid answered the door.

"Is the chief there, Mia? We need to talk to him. It's, um, urgent..."

"Um, yeah, he is. Come in, Captains."

Mia led the two males through the giant house and to a dining room where two older squirrels were.

"Father," Mia said, "Captains Ricky Danfos and Ron Brush are here to see you. They say it's urgent."

"Thank you, dear. You may leave us," the male squirrel said standing up. He nodded at the female squirrel and both squirrelmaids left the room.

Ricky and Ron stood at attention in front of the squirrel, "At ease, soldiers. What's the emergency?"

Ron sighed, "General Rasakaro is missing, Chief Jared. We haven't seen him since the battle.

Chief Jared's eyebrows shot up in shock, "What?! Missing?! Organize a search party. I want him found, do you understand?"

The captains exchanged glances, "We already organized one, sir, but there is still no sign. We searched everywhere, except for the Langi Territory, of course..."

Jared rubbed his eyebrows wearily, "Damn it.."

"What do we do Chief..."

Jared was silent. The brown-furred squirrel paced the room, trying to figure out what he could do to fix this situation, but nothing came to mind. He turned to Ron and Ricky, "You too are excused. Leave me to my thoughts."

"Errm, yessir!" Ricky said.

The two males left the frustrated chief to himself. Jared couldn't understand what to do. Never in history has this happened. Dan was the core of the Tanger Army; now that he was gone...trouble would erupt,

'Where could he be? If Sarmana had him, he would tell us. He would announce it to the world and probably display Dan's head on a platter knowing him...if he's not there, then where is he????

* * *

Bryana sighed loudly, "Finally done!"

She glanced over at the sleeping form in the bed. Dan had his head bandaged, giving him a roguish look, but the same could not be said about his torso, which was completely bandaged. His chestnut brown fur was ruffled and disarrayed since he had just come out of a battle. He was also a little pale. Bryana grimaced, remembering how he was turning purple before she gave him the special antidote that she had made for that poison. Her father wanted her to find an antidote just in case any of the Langi soldiers were exposed to poison. She smiled ruefully and shook her head, "Imagine if he found out I used it on a Tanger..."

Bryana brought a chair next to the bed and sat on it. She stared into Dan's face, still confused on why she had saved her so-called "enemy."

"He's not _my_ enemy. He's my father's enemy and the one...the one who murdered my brother...what am I doing? I... I don't understand..."

She stood up and paced back and forth, now extremely frustrated. She stopped and then turned to look at the mouse again. He actually looked peaceful as if he never got that much sleep before.

"Well, you are a general..." she said, stroking his cheek, gently, "If I could, Dan, I would tell your family that you're safe, but I can't...Goodness, they must be worried sick about you..."

**(A/N: wow, that was a seriously long chapter....so yeah I guess I owe to all my reviewers for making them wait that long for the next chapter...well you see that button right below....well click it! R&R!!!**


	4. Meet the Rasakaro and Sarmana Families

**(A/N: Wow, it's been a while...huh...well I'm glad to say that school is now over...ugh it was horrible...anyways in this chapter, we get to meet Dan and Bryana's Families. Yay! They are big and dysfunctional (at least to me, haha) Oh, and thank you to Ala ****Cye for reviewing! Hopefully I can get more reviews (ahem, hint, hint) ANYWAYS! Without further ado, here is chappy numero 3!)**

**Chapter Three: Meet the Rasakaro and Sarmana Families**

Jesse Rasakaro paced back and forth in the large living room of his mansion-like house. Recently finding out that his oldest son was missing, the elderly father mouse was worried to the end of his whiskers. The door to the house opened and he turned abruptly, almost anxiously towards it. Two mice, one male and the other female, walked into the house, laughing and joking, not knowing the serious situation that had occurred in the family. An elderly mousemaid followed, smiling and shaking her head at the young mice. The young mousemaid was the first one to see Jesse.

"Hi Daddy!" she exclaimed, running towards him and hugging him.

Jesse managed a small smile, "Hello, my dear, what were the lot of you up to?" he asked.

The elderly mousemaid smiled, "Oh, we all just decided to go shopping. Will, go help Eric with the bags. Go on, off with you!"

Will saluted smartly, "Yes, Marm!"

He raced out of the house quickly to go help his younger brother with the bags. Jesse started pacing again, not able to control himself. His wife, Linsey and daughter, Tara exchanged glances and then looked at Jesse again.

"Is something the matter, dear?" Linsey asked.

Jesse turned to look at the maids and sighed, "I have bad news. Linsey, but I will tell everyone at the same time."

At this time, four mice walked through the open door. Will and Eric carried large bags and then set them down on the floor next to a table. Two mousemaids, Esme and Arti, followed the mice, giggling with their arms locked together. Jesse cleared his throat for attention.

"Everyone needs to have a sear at this moment," he said, "I have some bad news..."

All the mice exchanged confused glances and sat down on the couches around the table. Jesse paced back and forth yet again.

"Dad," Eric said, "What's going on?"

"Wait," Tara said, "Dan isn't here yet. You said to wait for _everyone_..."

"This news concerns him, Tara," Jesse said, gravely.

Linsey stood up abruptly, "What happened to him? Is he okay? Is he hurt? Where is he?"

Jesse walked over to her and placed his paws on her shoulders, "Take a breath, Linsey. Please calm down..."

"Calm down? Don't tell me to calm down! Tell me what happened to my son!"

"He..He..."

"Oh, oh my goodness! He's dead, isn't he?" Linsey cried, in horror.

"No. Well, actually we don't know..."

"Don't know? What do you mean you don't know?" She exclaimed.

"He's missing. No beast has seen him since the last battle this morning. We're positive that the Langis don't have him because we all know Matthew would brag like there was no return. We just don't know where he is or if...if he's alive.."

Linsey sat down hard, stunned by the news. Will stood up and walked over to his mother and held her tight.

"Don't worry, Mum, I'm..I'm sure bro is all right. You know he can handle himself. He wasn't named General for nothing, you know. I...I bet he will walk through the door any moment now and laugh at us for worrying so much. C...Come on, Mum, cheer up..It'll be okay..."

Linsey sobbed quietly as Will tried to comfort her, "Shhh, it's okay, it's okay..."

Despite Will's comforting words, Jesse, Linsey, Esme, Eric, Tara, and Arti couldn't help but worry. They didn't know that Dan was actually safe in a hut outside both Langi and Tanger territory, safe and sound asleep.

* * *

_**TWO MONTHS LATER**_

Bryana walked briskly through the Langi Marketplace. She glanced around, worriedly, not sure if she should have left Dan alone in the hut. He was still unconscious, but according to her calculations, he should wake up any day now. She didn't notice a handsome hazel-eyed mouse strolling up net to her until he spoke.

"Hello, Bry, lovely day, isn't it?"

She turned, slightly startled, "Uh, hi, Aaron, um, yeah, lovely day..."

"Are you feeling alright, Bry?"

"I'm fine..."

"Sure?"

"Yep, just in a hurry..."

"Okay..."

"Got to go, bye!"

Aaron stopped walking as she rushed off, "Uh, bye..."

'Okay, what the heck was that? Was it something I said?'

Bryana kept on walking in her brisk stroll until she reached a huge house,. She took out her keys and unlocked the door. She then walked in the house and closed the door behind her.

"Sis!"

As soon as Bryana turned a younger mousemaid tackled her.

"Uff, Emma! What the hell?"

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Little Kevin said his first word!"

Bryana smiled brightly, "What, he did? What did he say? Oh, tell me, please!" she exclaimed.

"He said 'Mama,'" she gushed, "Aww it was sooo cute! Sis, you missed it! Come on, maybe he'll say it again!"

Emma pulled Bryana into a living room area where a mousemaid sat with a little mousebabe. She smiled at Bryana and Emma when they entered the room.

"Rika! Did he really talk?" Bryana gushed.

Rika, her sister-in-law, smiled, "Yes, he did. He called out to me."

"Mama!" the mousebabe held his small paws out to Rika.

"Aww, so cute!"

"I told you, didn't I?"

Rika picked up the mousebabe and began rocking him gently. He fell asleep soon after.

Bryana chuckled, "Hmm, reminds me of Kevin when we were little..."

"How would you know?" Emma asked, playfully shoving her, "You were probably being rocked with him. Twins, hello?"

"Shut up! There are pictures of us when we were babes so I saw them and he looks exactly like Kevin."

"Like Father, like son. Same name, same habits!"

"Shh...you'll wake him."

"Sorry."

"Yeah Emma, shut up!"

"You."

"You."

"You."

"What are you two arguing about this time?"

They both turned to see an elder mousemaid and Matthew walking at her side. Rika stood and carried Kevin, gently rocking him.

"I'm going to put him in his cradle."

Matthew nodded and she walked off. When they were out of sight, Bryana and Emma started wrestling again.

"You're annoying!"

"Oww...Mommy, Sis punched me...!"

"Tattle Tale!"

"Bryana, be nice."

Bryana scoffed and stood up, "Don't tell me what to do! You're not my mother, so stop pretending that you are!"

"Bryana!" Matthew exclaimed, "Mind your manners!"

Bryana sent a frosty glare at them and stormed off, slamming her bedroom door behind her. Matthew put a paw on her wife's shoulder.

"Kat..."

"No, it's okay...Bryana never accepted me as her mother. She's most definitely not going to start now..."

"Kat..." Matthew started but she had already walked off, away from hearing distance.

Emma and Matthew were the only two remaining in the room. Emma walked up to her father, "Daddy, why does Sis hate Mom so much?" she asked, innocently.

"She thinks that your mom was trying to take her mom's place," Matthew said, "Only Kat never tried to do that...Bryana and Kevin's mother died when they were only three. They still have some memories of her. Hmm, You would've liked Sun though, dear...she was a great mother, beautiful, kind-hearted. Until she was killed by those damn Tangers...(sigh)"

"I thought there was an agreement never to kill the healers..."

"There is. They claim it was an accident but I know better. They killed her because of me..."

* * *

Bryana paced irritably and then stopped abruptly.

"Hmm," she said softly to herself, "Maybe I should go check on Dan. Just in case...ugh I need to get out of here anyways!"

She locked her room door from inside and climbed out her window, carefully. She climbed down the side of the house and grabbed the tree branch that stuck out. It was connected to a huge, strong oak tree. She climbed down it carefully, since she was no squirrel of course. Finally, she jumped off when she was closer to the ground. She went bush to bush.

"Damn, I just got home, too. Ugh, I'll just take the back way instead of going through the market place..."

She walked behind the houses and cut through the woods, crossing over the Langi border just entering Tanger Territory. She walked carefully and quietly as possible. It would be bad news if she was ever caught there. She was so focused on not getting caught that she didn't even notice a shadow following her as she tredded through the forest. She finally reached a clearing but the stalker stayed in the woods so they would not be caught. She spotted her small hut and walked towards it. Bryana heard a small crunch behind her. The figure hid behind a bush quickly as she turned around, dagger in paw. When she saw nothing there she sighed and kept on walking towards the hut. She took out her keys yet again and unlocked the hut. She took one more look around before entering the hut quietly.

**(A/N: And that's a wrap! I'm glad that I have a chance to get back to this story! :) I'm also working on _Love and Trouble_ as well since many people seemed to have liked it so far. _Redwall's Redemption_ is also being worked on and should be updated soon. So yeah as long as people R&R, then these stories will be updated a.s.a.p. so you see that green button below? Well, click it! ;) hehehe)**


	5. WakeUp Call

**(A/N: Here's the next chapter! I know there was a lot of characters introduced in the last chapter, but this one is just about three certain characters that we already met and are somewhat well acquainted with. so enjoy!)  
**

**Haven't done this in a while so I will do it now...  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Redwall...wish I did but I don't...**

**Chapter 4: Wake-up Call  
**

Bryana stood slightly stunned at the figure in front of her. There Dan stood holding his sword pointed at her and using the side of a chair to hold himself up straight.

"Do you honestly think I'm going to hurt you?" she asked, walking towards him cautiously.

Dan still held the sword pointed at her but then slowly lowered it down. He knew she was right. If she wanted to, she could have killed him when he was unconscious.

"How long have I been out?"

Bryana hesitated at first but answered, "Two months..."

"What?"

"Yeah, I know. I told you that you were shot by a poisoned arrow, didn't I? You're lucky to even be breathing right now..."

"...Why did you help me? I'm your enemy..."

" You're not my enemy...you haven't hurt me, have you? Therefore I have no reason to be frightened of you..."

Dan stared at her in disbelief, not used to a Langi actually speaking to him in such a proper way. He walked carefully back to his bed and sat down. Bryana walked up to where he was sitting and put her paw to his forehead. She nodded in approval and then picked up his paw. Dan, slightly taken aback, pulled his paw away. Bryana looked at him and then held her paw out.

"I need to check your vitals to make sure you are getting better..."

He stared at her for a moment but then let her take his paw. She checked his pulse and yet again nodded in approval. She then got up and walked to a table where she was moving things around, apparently looking for something. Dan watched her wrinkle her nose in frustration when she couldn't find what she was looking for. She kept on picking and moving things until she finally found a pouch.

"Ah ha! Here you are! Thought you could hide from me didn't you?"

Dan raised an eyebrow in amusement, "Are you talking to a pouch, Langi?"

Bryana turned around and wrinkled her nose again but this time at him, "Yes I am and I told you already that my name is Bryana. I'd rather be called that instead of 'Langi' if you don't mind.."

She turned back around and began mixed some kind of herbal medicine. She had a bowl that she mixed the ingredients in and then poured it in a cup. She turned and walked back to the bed where Dan still sat watching her every move. She held out the cup to him.

"Here, dink this. It doesn't taste all that good, but it will make you feel better."

Dan stared at it and then cautiously took the cup from her, "Do you make it a habit to help unknown creatures?" he asked, taking a drink from the cup and making a face of disgust.

"You're not unknown. I know who you are."

Dan looked at her, suddenly alarmed at her comment, "You...you do?"

"Yeah, you're name is Dan, right? I know you are a Tanger soldier and that you were wounded in battle..."

Dan stared at her for a moment and then nodded in agreement, "True...everyone must think that I'm dead, don't they?"

"They probably do."

"Hmm, what will I tell them when I get back? I can't reveal that a Langi maid saved my life...We'd both be in trouble then. Fugitives in our own homes..."

"You can't take my name either...I've hid you here for two months and no one found out, well not yet anyways. As soon as you get better, it would be best for you to go back to Tanger Territory. You'd be safer there..."

"Yes, that is true...hmm, maybe I could make up a story about a mysterious maid that found me half dead and took me in...She didn't know where I came from until I was came to and then she left not long after I was strong enough to go back home..."

"Well, that's somewhat true," Bryana commented.

"Yeah, it is..."

They were quiet for a moment and just sat at their places. Dan looked at Bryana. The window was open and the curtains were tied to the side. Bryana's honey brown fur shone in the sunlight as she sat on a chair not to far from the bed. He noticed that her hazel eyes was always filled with confidence and kindness. This was weird. He felt his stomach do somersaults as he kept on staring her. Today she was wearing a purple short-sleeve dress with a black belt emphasizing her thin waist. This time she was wearing black flats instead of her boots.

'Hmm, she's actually kinda hot...' he thought, still watching her, 'Kinda? Who am I kidding? She's really hot...Wait a minute, what am I thinking? She's a Langi! I shouldn't be thinking about a Langi like this...What is wrong with me?'

Bryana looked at Dan and saw him furrowing his eyebrows in frustration. He seemed to be debating about something, but what could it be? Dan finally looked up and saw her staring at him. Bryana blushed slightly and quickly looked away. Dan raised an eyebrow, confused.

"Is something the matter?"

Bryana looked at him, "Erm no, nothing. Just wondering what you were thinking about right now... You seemed like concerned or frustrated..."

"Huh, oh, erm, I..I...uh...did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Are you sure no one else knows about this place but you?"

"Yeah, of course. Why?"

Dan put a claw to his lips and Bryana nodded. He carefully walked towards the door and put his ear to it. He then beckoned her over to where he was standing. When she was standing next to him, he pulled her closer and whispered in her ear, "At the count of three you will open the door and I will grab whoever it is that is spying on us."

Bryana nodded. They stood there for a moment and she realized how close she was standing next to him. She took a couple steps back to give him some room.

"1."

They both tensed.

"2."

Bryana held her breath and Dan readied himself to pin the intruder.

"3!"

Bryana pulled the door open and Dan grabbed the intruder roughly. The intruder...squealed in surprise.

"Emma?"

Bryana pulled her sister away from Dan and try to calm the frantic mousemaid.

"Sis, there's a Tanger in here. Oh my goodness, he's gonna kill us, isn't he? He...he...hey! Don't you come any closer, you...you rapscallion!"

"Rapscallion? That's a new one...so this is your sister... I can see the family resemblance," Dan said, dryly.

Emma gasped in indignation, "Oh, why you little..."

She tried going after Dan, but Bryana held her back.

"Emma, will you calm down, damn it! He's not going to hurt you or me, okay?"

"How are you so sure? You know what Dad says about these Tanger types! He told us to stay away from him and here you are playing house with one of them! At least now I know where you go all the time!"

Bryana blushed furiously. Even Dan couldn't help the blush slowly rising and coloring his cheeks.

Bryana took a deep breath and then said, "Okay, One, the only reason he is here is because he was wounded in the battle two months ago; and two, it is not what you think! Nothing of the sort is going on between us, understand?"

"Really?" Emma asked, folding her arms, "Nothing at all?"

"No."

"Then, why are the two of you red as strawberries then?"

"We are not."

"Are too."

"Are not."

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Okay! We get the point! Geez, do you two always argue like this?"

"Yeah, we do, actually. It's only because my sister is too proud to admit when she's wrong and all!" Emma said, smugly.

"Shut up!"

"Make me."

Bryana growled softly, now at her wits end and extremely pissed at her sister. Dan raised an eyebrow at her.

"Wow, didn't know you had such a temper..."

"She gets it from our Dad," Emma commented, "And speaking of Dad, he's gonna be pissed to know that you went out again without anyone knowing..."

"Well," Bryana started, "That's only if he finds out, and since I'm not going to tell him and Dan's certainly not gonna tell him, and I'm very certain that you are not going to tell him right my beloved, adorable little sister?" she said, venom dripping from her fake sweet tone, putting her paw on Emma's shoulder and allowing her claws to dig into her shoulder.

"Oww, okay okay," Emma said, pulling her paw off, "You made your point. I won't tell."

"Good, you better not," Bryana said, "Oh so heavens help me, I will kill you."

"Okay, okay, geez! Wait a minute! Did you say his name is Dan? As in _General_ Dan Rasakaro?"

Dan shifted uncomfortably and nodded. Bryana cringed slightly as Emma turned to look at her.

"What were you thinking?"

"She didn't know," Dan said.

"The hell she didn't!" Emma exclaimed. She turned to look at Dan and started to walked towards him, "You killed our brother."

Dan stared in disbelief and looked at Bryana, who had her back turned to him, and then back at Emma, "Who..who was your brother?" he asked, not sure that he wanted to hear her response.

"Kevin... Kevin Sarmana."

Dan looked at Bryana when she answered. He took a couple steps back away from them.

"Sarmana? You're Matthew's daughters..."

"Yes," Emma said, "We are."

"I'm nothing like him," Bryana said, taking a few steps toward him, "If I wanted to, I could have shown you to my father, but I didn't. If I wanted to, I could have killed you, but I didn't. I'm not like him, Dan, please believe me..."

"I know, Bryana. You are nothing like him, well besides the fact that you do have his temper..."

"Yeah, I know that..."

They were quiet for a while. It was an awkward silence, which all of them wanted to break but wasn't sure how to. Emma cleared her throat.

"Umm, I should go back home before Dad realizes I'm gone. You should too, Sis, you know how Dad gets..."

"Yeah, you go, I'll be there soon..."

Emma nodded and then turned back to Dan, "Bye."

"Bye..."

"See you later, Sis..."

"Okay..."

Emma walked out of the room and out of the hut. Dan and Bryana were quiet yet again.

"I should go. There's plenty of food and water in the hut if you need it...umm, yeah, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"Yeah..."

"Okay," Bryana said, turning and walking towards the door. Dan walked to the bed and sat down. Bryana turned back towards him when she was at the door.

"Dan?"

"Yeah?" he said, standing up, quickly.

"You don't have to worry about Emma," she said, softly, "She won't tell our father anything."

Dan stared at her for a moment and then nodded. Bryana smiled slightly, "Bye, Dan."

"Bye, Bryana..."

She walked out of the door and out of the hut, locking the door before leaving. Dan sat back down on the bed. He touched his chest where a small scar replaced the arrow that was previously there. This maid seriously saved his life. He'd really be dead if it wasn't for her.

"I'm so indebted to this maid...She's my enemy's daughter and she knew it too. She pretended that she didn't know who I am just so she could save me...You really aren't anything like Matthew, Bryana...and I'm glad for that..."

**(A/N: And that's a wrap...hopefully you (the reader) is more comfortable with the characters and can see the attraction between Dan and Bryana...R&R**!)


	6. Emotions Running Wild

**(A/N: hey everyone! Back again with next chapter...sorry it took so long...school sucks so much...****without further ado, here is the next chapter!)**

**Chapter Five: Emotions Running Wild  
**

Bryana lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She then sat up, yawning loudly and started stretching. She sat on her bed for a minute thinking about yesterday's events. Although Emma could be a tattle-tale sometimes, she knew that she could count on her not to say anything to their parents. Even so, she was running out of excuses.

'I guess it's a benefit to me that Emma knows,' she thought, 'I know she will at least have my back and cover for me...I wonder what Dan is doing right now...'

She got out of bed and walked over to the bathroom. After washing her face, she changed out of her night clothes and into a turquoise spaghetti-strapped shirt with black shorts. She slipped on her boots and put on a sliver chain that had a pendent shaped like a lily with her named etched into the stone. She brushed her hair that went down to her shoulders and tied it up. Satisfied with the way she looked, she walked out of her bedroom. She said quick good mornings to her family and was just about to walk out of the door when she heard her father call her name.

"Shit," she whispered, "Uhh, yea Dad?"

"Where are you going now, Bryana?"

"Out...with my...friends..."

"You seem to be doing that a lot lately..."

"Oh Dad, come on, I am a teen, ya know and since when can't I go hang out with friends? Come on, please?"

"OK," he started, "But..."

Bryana stopped smiling, "But what, Daddy?"

"As you know, tomorrow is the Independence Festival and I know a certain creature who is interested in asking you to go to the festival with him...?"

"Oh, no, Daaaaadddddddy..." she whined.

"If you want to go anywhere today then tomorrow you have to go to the festival; otherwise you will stay at home and be bored out of your mind. Choose."

Bryana was silent for a moment. She really wanted to go see Dan right now, but if she didn't agree to this stupid date then no Dan. She frowned deeply at the thought.

"Who is the guy by the way?"

"Aaron."

Bryana fumed silently. She had been best friends with Aaron for seasons now. Just recently she had noticed that he was starting to hit on her...She wasn't stupid. She could see the signs and the hints and all. She sighed knowing that there was no way to win this. Dad loved Aaron and for all she knew, he could be setting up her marriage to him...

"Fine. Can I go now?"

"Yup, have a good time, darling and I will be sure to tell Aaron..."

"Ya I bet..." she mumbled.

Bryana sledged off irritably not looking forward to tomorrow. She took her secret route and smiled once she reached the hut. She entered the hut and looked around. She frowned when she saw that it was empty. Worry filled her mind.

'Where could he be?' she thought, 'Dan...'

She walked over to the bed where he was supposed to be sleeping and sat down on it. She ran her paw over the messy sheets and pillow. The door suddenly opened and Dan walked in wearing only his pants. Bryana felt heat rising in her face as she stared at him. He didn't have any bandages now at all, which meant that she could see all his muscles... There was still a mark across his chest and also a smaller wound replaced the arrow. She groaned inwardly and her cheeks flushed even more. Dan raised an eyebrow at her, confused at her reaction.

"Are you okay, Bryana?"

"Uhhh mmhmm..." she stammered, "P...perfectly alright...hehe..."

"Sure?"

She just nodded now, not being able to speak and not sound stupid. She could feel it. She had an instant attraction towards him and she did not know why. Dan walked over to where she was sitting. He suddenly just smiled at her. A pure genuine smile. It completely made her heart melt. She smiled back nervously.

"When did you get here?" he asked, "I hope I didn't make you wait too long..."

"Mmm no, not at all," she replied, "I actually just got here, and where were you anyways...you just got out of a coma. Do you want to go back into another one?"

Dan chuckled, "No way," he said, "I'm fine. I just went to take a bath, haven't had one in a while so I thought that it would be nice to actually have one..."

Bryana sighed. "Still I don't think you should be walking around just yet..."

"I'm fine."

"That's what they all say."

"I'm serious."

"Me too."

"Sure."

"This is a pointless argument."

"Well, you started it, darling."

"Don't call me that."

Dan smirked, "Why not, darling."

"I will hurt you."

"No, you won't."

"Want to bet?"

"Ha, you're a healer, aren't you?"

"Yeah, so?"

"You yourself said that you can't hurt other creatures so technically you won't be able to hurt me because of the fact that you are a healer and it would be completely wrong of you to do so."

"You are full of it, you know that?"

"I'm right and you know it."

"You're annoying."

"Thank you," he said, sitting down next to her, "I know."

"Arrg. You're getting on my nerves. You better be nice to me or else..."

"Or else what?"

"Or I will give you more of that swampy medicine that you love so much..."

Dan made a face. He really didn't like that medicine...

"Okay," he said, "You win, Bry."

He got up and walked over to a table; his back was facing her. Bryana raised an eyebrow. It seemed that he was getting comfortable around her already.

'He probably has his guard down now...maybe, just maybe he actually trusts me...'

Bryana sighed loudly, her mind going back to the Independence festival that was coming up. Tomorrow to be exact and not to mention, she would have to go to the festival with Aaron...her date...Dan turned around to look at her and raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said, miserably.

"You really thing I believe that...?"

"It's...it's nothing really. My dad wants me to go to the Independence Festival with this guy and..."

"You don't like him..."

"Yes, err, well no. You see he's like my best friend but he wants to be more than friends, ya know..."

"Do you want to be more than friends?"

"No, I don't think so..."

"Either you know or not."

"I don't know! I always considered him as a friend and I never thought about being romantically involved with him. I mean, why does this stupid stuff happen? Why can't males and maids just be really good friends? I mean, this stuff really bites!"

She stopped, suddenly realizing that she had raised her voice.

Dan raised an eyebrow again, "You done?"

Bryana sighed, "Yes, sorry..."

"It's OK. Wow, you really are conflicted here. Why don't you give him a chance? I mean, who knows? Maybe you could fall for him..."

"I doubt it. Aaron is so not my type!"

"Oh, really? What is your type, then?"

"Umm, I...I...well..."

"You don't even know your type."

"I do so...I just don't like him that way."

"OK, don't go with him to this independence festival thing. What is it anyways?"

"Well, it celebrates the time when our villages separated and became our own significant tribe."

Dan stared at her for a second and then said, "You actually go to that crap?"

"Well, yeah...it's a lot of fun. We have tons of games, music, dancing and food."

"Thought you were against this war?"

"I am, but the festival is fun...and I have to go to the festival with Aaron."

"Why do you have to?"

"'Cuz, I wanted to go out today and see you and well, the condition was if I go out today I have to go to the festival with Aaron."

"Huh. Well you didn't have to come see me today..."

"Yes, I did. Now come over here."

"Why?"

"I need to check on your wounds and don't even think you can get out of it 'cuz you cannot."

Dan groaned but still walked over to the bed and sat down. Bryana smirked knowing that she won again. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately. Almost as if he wasn't really fighting back anymore...

**(A/N: I have to really apologize for taking so long...I actually had most of this chapter done but never got to posting it...hopefully my reviewers did not give up on me...plez plez plez review...)**


	7. Crazy Thoughts

**(A/N: Back with more! Sorry again for taking so long! Here's the next chappy! Enjoy!)**

**Chapter 6: Crazy Thoughts**

Dan felt the sunlight right on his face as he opened his eyes. It was still early. He was used to waking up early, but that wasn't the case lately. He had been sleeping in for over two months now. His mind went back to his family and friends.

"They must think I'm dead…I have to go back as soon as possible. Bryana isn't coming today since she has to go on a date with that guy…what-his-name…? Err, Aaron. Yeah, lucky guy…"

He sat up on his bed and stretched, "Not so lucky, I suppose, considering she doesn't love him. Still he gets her company today and not me…" He frowned deeply at this thought.

He got out of his bed and went to the window. It was a beautiful day. The wind swayed the trees and flowers gently to the song of the birds singing in the distance. There were no clouds in the sky, just light blue surrounding the lush green area. There was a waterfall not that far from the two villages and the scent of the rushing, cold blue water flowed through the cool air. Dan inhaled deeply taking in his surroundings. The sun beat down on him, but the cool wind made the sun more bearable than usual.

Dan felt his mind go back to his family. They meant everything to him, everything. There is nothing that he wouldn't do to make them feel safe and happy. He missed all of them and wished he could see them again. He couldn't leave without saying goodbye to Bryana. She took care of him all this time, it wouldn't be right to leave like that. What to do though. Yes, he was indebted to her for life, but why did it feel so different with her? He remembered what it was like when he first met her, he did not trust her at all and she knew that, yet, yet she still helped him. Mathew Sarmana's daughter helped him. Maybe she didn't believe everything that she was told about Tangers. They were all told stories when they were younger. Dan's father used to tell him how horrible and conniving Langis were. Dan believed it when he met Mathew, but Bryana was the complete opposite. She was beautiful, smart, kind, and caring: the complete opposite of all he was taught and all that he experienced. Dan turned around and went back to the bed and sat down at the end of it.

"What to do?" he asked himself out loud, "Do I go back now or wait for her to come back. I want to see her again before I go…I _need _to see her…wait, what am I saying? Dan what has gotten over you? Since when do you need to see a girl? She's just a girl… Is she just a girl to me? No, perhaps a friend…I can call her a friend. She helped me when no one else would….If Bryana and I could become friends, then why can't our villages become one again? What am I saying? They will never swallow their pride and accept defeat. This has been happening before even my grandfather was born and he's one of the oldest and wisest creatures in our council. .. Now I'm in a fix as well."

Dan stood up and picked up his uniform jacket. He put it on and buttoned it up since his white shirt was beyond use at the moment. He didn't feel comfortable walking around without a shirt on.

"I need to go. If I stay here any longer, I'll be saying more crazy things…Sorry Bryana, but I have to leave. I should leave a note for her so she doesn't worry." He smiled at the thought, "She worries for me so much…and I'm leaving like this…ugh I have to, I just have to…"

Dan found some paper and a pen and wrote a quick letter to Bryana. He put it in view and walked to the door. He took one last look at the room and walked out the door.

**(A/N: Short, I know. I'm starting to get used to writing again. It's been a while! As you can tell Dan is kind of an innocent boy. He's attracted and in love but does not realize it yet! When you're in love you say "crazy things" ;D R&R!)**


	8. Conflicting feelings

**(A/N: Sorry I disabled the anonymous reviews but it was being abused and I was forced to take that action. Also there is a user out there that is spamming our beloved fan fiction website. Whether you are a user or not, please report him. I know he's probably going to spam me even more but I don't care as long as we work together to remove him….Anyways on a brighter note :D here's our next chapter!**

**Chapter 7: Conflicting feelings**

Bryana ran behind a game stall narrowly avoiding Aaron's gaze. She held her breath as he walked by looking around. As soon as he was out of sight she exhaled loudly and swiped her paw across her brow. Her father told her to go to the festival with him, but that didn't mean she had to leave with him. She smirked and carefully peaked over the corner again.

"Ahh...coast is clear. Bry, when you are good, you are good!"

She strolled out of her hiding place, smiling and taking in her surroundings. Now that Aaron was gone, everything seemed perfect. Well, almost everything.

"If Dan was here, than that would be perfect," Bryana stopped abruptly, "Where did that come from? Geez, I'm obsessing about that boy…I would go see him but there is so much guards around; stupid guards keeping me from seeing him…"

She walked towards a food stall and ordered a piece of blueberry pie. She took a piece of the pie with her fork and put it in her mouth, "Mmm de-licious!"

She was enjoying her pie so much that she didn't notice two figures sneaking up on her.

"Boo!"

Bryana squeaked in fright, dropping her pie. She looked down at the spilled food and glared at the two mousemaids laughing at her.

"Emma! Mariella! Look at what you made me do! That pie was so good…"

Mariella put an arm around her cheerfully, "Aw cheer up, young un. You could always get another."

Bryana pushed her arm away, "I wanted that one," she pouted.

"Gosh, so immature, sis," Emma said, rolling her eyes.

"What are you doing here alone, anyways, where's your lover?" Mariella said with a playful smirk.

"He is NOT my lover! I don't care where he is. I know I'm here enjoying the festivities. He can kiss my behind!"

"Ooh harsh…"

Mariella and Emma exchanged glances. "You don't think you're being too harsh, Bry?"

"Hmph, no," She said, "I'm just sick of creatures saying that we should marry…I'm not in love with Aaron. I'm not. So why do people keep pushing me to get with him…" Bryana frowned deeply and turned her back to the maids.

"Sorry, Bry, I didn't realize how much the Aaron situation bothered you…"

"Sure you're not saying because of your boyfriend…?" Emma said, nudging her.

Mariella raised an eyebrow, "What boyfriend…?"

"Emma….."

"Whoops, ahhahaha got you! There is no boyfriend. I'm just yanking her tail…haha ooh, strawberry cordial! I'm going to get some…"

Mariella approached Bryana as Emma walked away.

"I know when she's lying and when she tells the truth…What was she going on about, Bry?"

"Nothing. You heard her; she was just yanking my tail…"

"Stop! I know you better than that….I'm your cousin, Bry…You can trust me…"

"I know that."

"Then why aren't you telling me anything?"

"Mari…"

"Fine, don't tell me. I see how it is…You usually trust me more than Emma, but it's okay. I understand."

Mariella turned to walk away.

"Wait. OK, fine. I will tell you what's going on, but for the record, he isn't my boyfriend. He's a friend."

"OK, I'm listening."

"Well, you have to keep it secret. You can't tell anyone and I know you're gonna scold me for it."

"Your secret is safe with me. I'm your cousin, sweetie. I've kept all your secrets up till now as you have done for me. I'm hurt that you would find the need to say that."

"That just shows how secret this secret is, Mari."

"True, true; so tell me what's going on with you?"

"I met this guy about two months ago during one of the battles. He was injured badly, so I decided to help him, even though I know that I would be in big trouble if anyone would find out that I helped him…"

"Cut to the chase: who is he?"

Bryana pulled Mariella behind an empty stall and looked around carefully.

"Bry…"

"He, he's a Tanger, Mari…"

"What? Bryana…"

"I know. I know…"

"Do you? Do you really? Do you know what will happen if they find out? Why are you taking such a big risk?"

"Please calm down…"

"Do you like him?"

"What?"

"Do-you-like-him, Bryana?"

"Well, he's so kind and sweet. I feel like all we were told about Tangers is false, Mari. They aren't as bad as we put them out to be. They are just like us really…"

"You've gone mad, I swear. What are you thinking?"

"I haven't gone mad at all. I've realized the lies we've been told. They're not bad at all, Mari. We just have been forced to think that way."

"Are you listening to yourself…what the hell have you done to yourself? You sound like you're in love with this guy, that's probably why you can't say anything bad about him…"

"I am NOT in love with him. I got to know him better, is all."

"'Know him better?' What, what have you done with this guy?" She asked, panicking.

"I haven't done _anything_ with him. He never touched me, okay? Remember, he's a Tanger. He's not going to try and touch me when he doesn't know how I would feel about it…"

"And how do you feel about it?"

"Well, there you are!"

Both maids jumped at the voice, "Aaron?"

"Well, who else? I was looking all over for you, Bry…"

Bryana shifted uncomfortably and looked at Mariella for help.

"Oh, sorry. She was with me…just having some girl talk…"

"Maids, I swear," he said, rolling his eyes, "Well, there is one more place I wanted to take you before we leave. I know you're probably tired after this long day…"

"Um, well, okay I suppose," Bryana said, forcing a smile.

Mariella winced as Aaron put an arm around Bryana, "See you later, Mari."

"Bye, Mari! See ya soon!"

Mariella forced a smile and waved at them. Bryana looked back at her, and they both made a face. Emma came back, holding two cups.

"Where'd Bryana go?"

"Back to her 'date,'" Mariella responded, taking one of the cups, "Mmm, this is tasty!"

"Isn't it? Too bad Sis is missing it."

"Yea, too bad…"

"Did she tell you about Dan?"

"Is that his name? Yea, she did…Wait a minute. That name sounds familiar…"

"It should. He's General of the Tanger Army."

"Umm, but Uncle Matt hates the Tanger general…"

"Exactly the problem…He is really, really cute though. I mean I'm not even kidding!"

"For a Tanger you mean?"

"No, he is handsome, period! You should see how Sis stares at him…She is sprung, but does not want to admit it."

"She keeps on saying that, but you know she means the opposite."

"At least she acknowledges it. He likes her too, but he's in denial. He's probably those types that don't pay attention to girls, that is, until he met our Bryana. She saved his life you know, so that's probably a plus for her. Ooh, you know what; I think they would have the most adorable children!"

"Emma! How could you even say that! Tangers and Langis are not supposed to even talk, let alone marry! That's a sin and it has deadly consequences. Imagine if Uncle Matt found out his daughter is in love with the very mouse he hates. It would be a disaster!"

"I know it would, but still, he's nicer than Aaron. Better looking too," she said, with a wink.

* * *

"Where are you taking me?" Bryana asked, impatiently.

Aaron walked behind her with one paw over her eyes and the other one guiding her.

"Patience is a virtue, pretty one," he replied, cheerfully, "You will see soon enough. We are almost there…"

"You said that five minutes ago…"

"Exactly, and it's not that long ago, Bry. We…oh we're here! Are you ready?"

Bryana smirked, "I was born ready."

Aaron pulled his paw away from her eyes. She blinked twice and stared at the view. There was the waterfall outside the villages.

"Wow, its, it's beautiful Aaron…"

"Ehh, I think you're prettier," He said with a shrug.

She smiled slightly and shook her head. The water gushed quickly along the bank. The cool, blue water filled her senses with wonder. It was magnificent. The scent of the water was strong since they were right next to it. The wind carried some of the water across the land, hitting her and Aaron. It was refreshing and felt wonderful.

"Thank you for bringing me here," She said, "It's really very beautiful."

"Well, you're very welcome."

He went closer to her, and ran his paw down her arm. Bryana turned to look at him and he put his arm around her waist. Bryana stared at him for a moment and tried to pull away, but he didn't let her.

"Aaron…"

"Shh," he whispered, putting a claw to her lips. He brought his face closer to hers. Their lips almost touched, but Bryana pushed him away, quickly.

"I'm sorry, I can't. Aaron, I know how you feel about me, but I'm sorry, I don't feel the same way for you. You are my best friend and that's our relationship. Please forgive me, but I can't do this…"

She turned and ran away. Aaron stood there, staring after her. He felt tears in his eyes, and he shook his head, "I will not cry. I will not cry. Damn it, what did I do wrong? I love her so much and this is how she repays my love for her?" He stormed off angrily, "I will avenge this humiliation," he growled.

**(A/N: Geez, what a sore loser! She doesn't love you! Not if I have anything to do with it! ;D Yay longer chapter! Lol don't forget to R&R! **


	9. Confessions

**(A/N: Ok here's the next chapter. Thanks to Lightkit for reviewing :D)**

**Chapter 8: Confessions**

Bryana sat on her bed, holding her knees up to her chest. She stared at the letter that sat in front of her and frowned deeply. It had been a terrible week for her. Not only was her date with Aaron a disaster, she went to the hut and found out that Dan had went back home. All he left was a letter! The whole week was spent in her moping. She never left the house once all week despite attempts from her friends and family.

"Why does it hurt so much?" She asked herself, "Why do I keep wishing for more with him? Why can't I get him out of my head? Maybe, maybe Mariella and Emma are right…maybe I am in love with him…There has to be some reason why the thought of him is making me crazy!"

Bryana's thoughts were interrupted with a knock at her door.

"Who is it?" She asked, glumly.

"It's Emma and Mariella…"

"Come in…"

Emma and Mariella walked into the room and closed the door behind them, "Hey, how you holding up?"

Bryana shrugged and lay down, curling up in a ball. Emma walked over and picked up the letter.

"Huh, that's nice; just leave a letter after you spent so much time looking after him. Hmmp! What nerve!"

Mariella elbowed Emma in her side and glared at her.

"I'm sure he has a perfectly good reason for leaving abruptly…" She said, sitting down next to Bryana, "Hey, cheer up! You will see him again. I'm sure of it!"

Bryana sat up, "How can you be so sure? How do I know if I will ever see him again? What if I never do? Then what will happen? I'll never know….err… (Sigh) What am I gonna do?"

She plopped back down on the bed.

Mariella exchanged a look with Emma.

"Do you love him, Bry?"

"I…I…I" she stammered, trying to gather her thoughts together.

"Oh my goodness, you do," Emma said, "You do love him…"

"Just because I feel something for him doesn't mean he does…"

"You don't know that! He could be in love with you too, sis!"

"I don't think so. There are so many maids that probably throw themselves at him and they are probably much prettier and smarter than I am…."

"Oh goodness. Don't degrade yourself like that, Bry. You are smart, beautiful, quirky, and funny, you're everything that any guy would want. You are, you really are."

Bryana looked at her, tears now streaming down her cheeks.

"I'm in love with him…I'm truly, madly, deeply in love with him…" She said, with a smile, "I've got to see him again, Mari. Em, what do I do? I can't just go in Tanger Territory. I will get in so much trouble if I get caught…What do I do?"

"Wait until the next battle. You will definitely see him there. You just have to search for him, but I'm sure that you two will meet. Bry, I told you already, you will see him again!"

Bryana picked up Dan's letter and held it close to her heart. She smiled and then folded it and placed it in her bedside drawer. The door to Bryana's door suddenly burst open. The three maids turned to the door, startled at the sudden intrusion.

"Dad, what's going on?"

"Bryana, Mariella, the Tangers are attacking…We need the two of you to get to your places. We're going to have both of you there leading the healers and keep an eye out for any dirty tricks the Tangers may come up with. Hurry up and get ready! Meet down at the base."

"Okay, Dad, right away!"

Mathew left the room and Mariella put a paw on Bryana's shoulder.

"Here's your chance, Bry…You can also keep an eye out for Dan and maybe you should tell him how you feel…"

"I don't know about that," Bryana answered, shaking her head, "But I most definitely will meet him or my name isn't Bryana Sarmana!"

* * *

Dan made his usual preparations for a battle. He sharpened his sword and got his gear ready for the field. Besides a sword, he carried daggers, bow and arrows, and a small ax. He sighed loudly. This would be the first battle he would participate in after two months. He wasn't fully healed but Natasha still cleared him at his insistence. He still thought of how he left so suddenly.

"Bryana must be so worried," he said, quietly to himself, "What if she's so mad at me that she will never talk to me again? (Sigh) I should have waited. I should have said goodbye to her face to face. I had to go though. Everyone was shocked and so happy when I came back…But was it worth coming back knowing that Bryana would be so sad? Why am I questioning my actions so much? Why do I care so much about that maid? She's driving me crazy! I want to see her so badly I don't know what to do! Ugh!"

He punched the wall, irritably.

"Matey, are you alright?"

Dan turned abruptly at the voice, "Ricky, uh hi. Yeah, I'm fine…"

"Why'd you hit the wall, idiot? Look at what you did! I'm calling Natasha."

"Wait!" Dan called after him, but he was already gone. He didn't realize how hard he hit the wall. His paw was all bloodied. Natasha rushed over to him.

"What did you do?"

"I, I…"

"He hit the wall, that's what!"

"Why'd you do that?"

Dan didn't answer. He just turned his head away from them as his paw was bandaged. Natasha and Ricky exchanged glances as Natasha finished her work on his paw.

"Dan, you've been acting so weird since you came back….Are you sure nothing happened. I mean you're not yourself anymore…"

"I don't feel like myself!" he exclaimed, "I'm bloody miserable and I don't know why! It's pissing me off!"

Ricky raised an eyebrow, "Miserable? Aren't you happy to be home?"

"I am, but I feel like there's something missing…"

Natasha smiled slightly, "Something, or someone?"

Dan and Ricky looked at her, confused.

"What are you talking about?" Dan asked.

"This maid that took care of you…She had an effect on you. Anyone with eyes can tell that ever since you came back, you haven't been yourself. You're distracted. You can't concentrate. You feel upset one moment, and the next your happy, right?"

"Yeah, exactly!" he exclaimed, "What's wrong with me, Natasha? Why am I acting like this?"

Ricky shook his head, "Isn't it obvious, matey? You're in love with this maid…"

"What? No, I am NOT in love with her!" He frowned, turning his back to them.

"Oh, Dan, you're very much in love with her, and you feel bad for the way you left her right? You left a letter instead of saying goodbye face to face…"

Dan looked at Natasha, "Am I in love with her? I don't know anymore…"

Natasha smiled, "We still got time before the battle, so tell us about her. What's her name?"

Dan smiled slightly, "Bryana…"

"That's a pretty name…"

"It is, just like her…"

Natasha smirked, "How pretty is she?"

"She's extremely beautiful! I would say she's one of those rare beauties, just like you, Tasha." He said with a wink.

"Aww, you're so sweet! Now, remember, we're talking about Bryana, not me…So, she must be a fantastic healer since she saved your life. You almost die."

"Yea, she is pretty great…though I hated that swampy medicine she used to make me take…bleh! It helped a lot so it wasn't that bad…"

"What color are her eyes," Natasha asked.

"Is that necessary to ask?" Ricky complained.

Natasha hit his arm and shushed him, then nodded at Dan to answer.

"Her eyes are a creamy hazel color. It brings out her honey brown fur…"

"She asked about eye color…So now I guess you're going to describe her now." Ricky asked, sarcastically.

"Go ahead," Natasha said, "Describe her."

Ricky sighed, loudly as Dan continued.

"Well, like I said, she has hazel eyes, honey brown fur, she's not that tall, probably goes up to my shoulder. She has a slim figure, but she's not too skinny. She wears clothes that brings out her figure, clothes that make her look nice. Her clothes rather do get skimpy sometimes, but she's a Langi so what do you expect? You know how they get sometimes…"

Dan stopped abruptly, realizing what he said.

"Uhhh, I was supposed to go to that one place to meet that one creature…umm, got to go!"

"Wait!" Natasha exclaimed, "Don't even think about it! What did you say? She, she's a LANGI?"

Dan shushed her, "Don't announce it to the whole damn world!" he exclaimed, closing the door.

"Dan, what are you thinking? Oh my goodness, you're in love with a Langi maid? Do you know what will happen if anyone finds out?"

"I trust both of you," Dan said, softly, "I know you won't tell anyone…"

"Of course, you can trust us," Ricky said, "We got your back, matey. Go get that Langi, haha!"

Natasha shook her head, "I don't know about this, Dan…You need to be careful! When everyone thought you were dead, they felt lost without you…Every single creature in our village were mourning for you. If you get caught with this maid, you can get in serious trouble!"

"I know. I know, Tasha, but I know how to handle myself. I don't even know if I will ever see here again. I'm hoping to see her today though. I know she will be there somewhere. I just have to see her one more time. I have to know what her feelings are…"

"What are your feelings? You should figure that out first before approaching her," Ricky commented.

"You're right," Dan said, "And I think I know my feelings for her. I realized the way I was going on and on about her when you asked me about her. I can talk about her all day if any beast would listen. She may be a Langi, but she is the opposite of what we were taught when we were younger. She's smart, beautiful, amazing, and funny. She has a temper, too, but so do I. I think we can make it work, but that's only if she feels the same way. Well, I guess we are going to find out sooner or later…"

Natasha smiled and put a paw on his shoulder, "Well, I think she does feel the same…How could she not? You're pretty amazing yourself, Dan. You know, all the mousemaids in our village are crazy about you, but not one ever caught your eye. Bryana did though…She got you on a hook!"

Dan smiled slightly, "Yup, she sure does!"

As usual, the alarm went off, signaling the time for battle. Dan, Ricky and Natasha grabbed their gear and walked towards the battlefield. Dan took a deep breath. Today would be the day where he would tell Bryana that he loved her. He hoped and prayed that she would feel the same way. If not, it was like his uncle said, "It is better to have loved and lost then to never love at all!"

**(A/N: Yay, finally done with this chapter! I hope I lived up to the expectations of my readers. If not, please tell me so I can improve! Constructive criticism is welcome! So, please R&R!)**


	10. Crazy, Stupid, Love

**(A/N: Yeah, I know it has been awhile...I was busy with school and work, but now that I have some free time :) time to work on this story again! Enjoy and don't forget to R&R!)**

Disclaimer: Do not own Redwall. It belongs to the late Brian Jacques, but I do own the Tangers and Langis :D Yay me for owning something LOL

**Chapter 9: Crazy, Stupid, Love**

Bryana looked around anxiously for her love, but had no luck so far. On the other side, Dan had the same problem. It seemed no matter what the two young lovers did, they were unable to find the other. Mariella tried to assist her cousin, but it was difficult since the number of injuries were increasing. Bryana just finished wrapping a young mouse's paw when she finally caught a glimpse of Dan. He was running towards a fallen soldier that was about to be slain. Dan swung his sword, slaying the enemy squirrel, and saving his comrade's life. He held out his paw to the young otter, who took it gratefully.

"Thanks, General..." he said, smiling brightly.

"No problem, kiddo," Dan replied, "Just be careful out there now, hmm?"

"Yessir!" the young otter exclaimed, saluting.

"Dismissed!'

The otter ran off to held his fellow soldiers, not even checking whether his general was following him. Dan was not following him. He spaced out for a moment, thinking about Bryana and whether or not he would ever see her again. Bryana started running around like a mad beast when she saw that glimpse of Dan.

"I know I saw him," she said, softly, "Where are you, Dan...I need you..."

She dashed around some more and finally, her eyes found what they had been looking for. She hid behind a tree watching him give orders to some soldiers. He dismissed the soldiers and was finally alone. She carefully walked towards the mouse, looking around cautiously. Dan's ears twitched slightly, and he turned to see the mousemaid walking towards him. When she saw him looking at her, she abruptly stopped. Their eyes locked for a moment, and they both smiled. Their hearts finally relieved from the burning desire for each other. Bryana didn't wait a second more. She dashed towards Dan, who smiled broadly and held out his arms. Finally, she was in his arms. He held her tight to his chest, never wanting to let go. They stood there together, engulfed in each others' arms savoring the moment and feeling of being together after so long.

"I missed you..." Bryana whispered, softly.

He smiled slightly, "I missed you too...Bry, I have something extremely important to tell you..."

She pulled away slightly so she could look at him. He still had his arms wrapped around her slim waist and she had her paws on his chest. Dan smiled nervously, not knowing how to say what was in his heart. He exhaled loudly and started to speak from his heart.

"Bry, I know we haven't known each other for a long time, but for some reason, I can't get you out of my head. Whatever I do, the thought of you won't leave me alone. The memory of being with you and the time I spent with you, even though it was short, it haunts me. Not in a bad way of course, but a really good, awesome, and fantastic way. Ever since I left you the way I did, I felt miserable. Nothing seemed to cheer me up, not even seeing my family after months of not being with them. I know what this is. I know what I feel for you. I cannot deny it anymore. My heart won't let me. I know that I am madly in love with you. I don't care about the risks. I don't care that you are a Langi and I am a Tanger. I don't care that your father hates me. All I know and care about is you and how I feel about you. I just want to know one thing from you Bry; Do you feel the same way I do for you?"

Bryana felt her eyes well up with tears and she smiled slightly. Her heart started to beat faster and faster. Finally she found out his feelings, and it turns out he loves her as much as she loves him. Her smile widened and she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. She pulled back slightly just to give her response.

"I love you too, Dan...Everything I feel for you is the same as you feel for me."

They embraced each other once more, holding on tightly, never wanting to ever let go.

**(A/N: like i wrote on my fb status... I am a hopeless romantic! It's a short chapter but I could not spoil this moment for them 3 3 reviews are appreciated :D)**


	11. The Thin Line Between Love and Hate

**(A/N: Next chapter! Ahaha so glad to be working on this story again... :D Sorry if my writing is kinda iffy...it's been awhile so still getting used to writing in this style :P)**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Redwall! Belongs to the late Brian Jacques**

**Chapter 10: The Thin Line Between Love and Hate  
**

A loud explosion interrupted the sweet moment between the two young lovers. Bryana turned away from Dan's arms.

"I should go...my creatures need me..."

Dan walked closer to her and turned her around. He stroke her cheek and pulled her face closer to his, gently placing his lips against hers. Bryana's eyes went wide briefly and then fluttered down as she kissed him back. The kiss finally broke and they stared at each other for a moment. Bryana turned away blushing furiously. Dan turned her around again and chuckled lightly at her reaction. Bryana stuck her tongue out at him.

"Don't laugh at me," she said, folding her arms across her chest.

"I love you."

She stared at him for a moment and smiled, "I love you too."

"Go. My creatures need me too. Think I will finally be able to concentrate now, haha. You made it quite difficult before you know."

Bryana smiled, "As you did for me."

"When will I see you again?"

"Tomorrow at noon. Meet me at the place where I kept you for two months," she said with a smirk.

"Dan grinned, "Deal."

He pulled her into another hug and kissed her head gently. Bryana smiled and stroke his cheek.

"Tomorrow."

"Yeah, tomorrow."

"Seems too far away."

"It will come quick," he said, "You will see. Before we know it, we will be together again. Just you and me."

Bryana giggled and shook her head, "You're silly," she said.

Dan grinned, "Is that so?"

He pulled her against him roughly and smothered her in another hug. Bryana laughed and pushed at him, trying to get out of his grasp.

"Dan!" she giggled, "Stop! Someone might see!"

When he thought she had enough, he released her. The mousemaid pushed him playfully.

"Bye Dan," she said, backing away and waving dramatically.

"Is that how you say 'goodbye?'"

"Yup!" she said, sticking her tongue out at him again.

When she turned her back to him, he walked toward her quickly and pulled her against him.

"Do it properly."

Bryana got out of his grasp and cheekily pulled him into a kiss. She pulled away and smirked.

"Better?"

Dan smiled and nodded.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"I love you more."

"Oh, really?"

"Mhmm, yup! Bye Dan," she said in a teasing voice.

"Bye..."

He watched her disappear into the woods, "That mousemaid is going to be the downfall of me...but I don't even care!" he mused out loud to himself.

"There you are!"

Dan turned to see Ricky running toward him. He immediately tensed up at the worried and somewhat frightened look on Ricky's face.

"Mathew's using fireballs and just wiped out a whole unit!"

"What? Where does he come up with these things? OK, gather up the remaining units and head back home. No use in fighting a losing battle because it is just gonna cost more lives than necessary. I need to figure out how to deal with Mathew before our whole army is wiped out! Go, Rick!"

"Yessir! Got it!"

Ricky rushed off and Dan started to go off in another direction to also warn his soldiers when: "Rasakaro!"

Dan stopped abruptly and turned around, unsheathing his sword at the same time. There, approaching him, was his archenemy and unfortunately his lover's father, Mathew Sarmana.

"Running away, are you?" he cackled, "Well, this time you won't escape from me! I will be the end of you, Rasakaro, even if I have to die in the process, you will die!"

Dan snarled at Mathew, "I'd like to see you try, Sarmana! You failed many times before and you will _NEVER _succeed! Never! _I_ will win and _YOU _will lose!"

Mathew howled in anger and rushed at Dan who stood his ground and held his sword in defense. Mathew's sword clashed against Dan's and they both sparred skillfully. Mathew slashed angrily, his movements brash and uncoordinated. Dan took advantage of this and knocked Mathew off balance. He fell to the ground, dropping his sword in the process. Dan towered over the fallen Mathew and held his sword up for the kill. Mathew kicked him sending him to the ground as well. Mathew leaped up and pinned the young mouse down briefly before Dan kneed him in the stomach and elbowed him in the chin. Dan tackled him down and began to beat him, mercilessly. The mice took turns exchanging blows and rolling in the dirt. Finally, Dan kicked Mathew off him and picked up his fallen sword that laid close by. He had hit the older mouse enough that he was temporarily weak and beat. Dan towered over the mouse yet again and lifted his sword up for the kill. Mathew looked at him weary-eyed and tired.

"And so ends the terror that was Mathew Sarmana," he said, hatefully, "You always said _you_ would win...Now who's the loser, Sarmana! YOU! It was nice knowing you!"

"NO!"

Dan's sword stopped midway. He looked up to see Bryana running over to them.

"Please don't kill him! Please, Dan..."

"You don't interfere, Bryana, this is between me and Mathew Sarmana!" he said, bitterly.

Bryana looked at him fearfully, "Please, I know you two have this enmity between each other, but Dan, look at me, please."

She tried to pull him away gently, but Dan pushed her away.

"No! He deserves to die! He's a murderer!"

"If you kill him now like this, then you will be one too!"

Dan snarled and grabbed her roughly, "And I should just stand here and let him kill my creatures and not do anything about it? Is that what you are saying?"

"Dan, you're hurting me..." she said, softly.

"Good!" he exclaimed pushing her down, "Stay out of this! I'm warning you!"

"He's my daddy...please don't do this, Dan...I know he's done wrong but please," she grabbed his leg and bowed her head, "I'm begging you!"

Tears flowed down the pretty mousemaid's face as she begged for her father's life. Dan, realizing what he was about to do and feeling ashamed about how he was handling the situation, knelt down in front of her.

"Don't cry, Bry. Please, hey, look at me," he pulled her upright so that she was facing him, "I'm so sorry," he said, "Please forgive me..."

She put her paw to his cheek, "Promise me you won't ever hurt him, ever again."

Dan stared at her in shock, not knowing what to say, "I can't promise you that, Bryana. He is the Langi General and I am the Tanger General. We are supposed to fight each other. If I don't fight him, he will kill me, you don't want that, do you?"

"No! Of course not..." she said, weakly starting to sob.

"Don't cry, Bry...Please stop..."

"I don't know what to think anymore...I don't know what to do...what do I do? What do I do!"

Mathew groaned and wriggled a little before his head fell to the side. Bryana gasped and rushed over to him.

"Daddy! Daddy!" she put her paw to his neck, "Oh thank heavens, he's still alive! He's just unconscious...Don't worry Daddy, you'll be fine," she said stroking his headfur.

Dan flared angrily at the mousemaid, "How can you defend him after all he's done? He is a cold-blooded murderer!"

"He's my father, Dan! If the roles were switched and it was your father I was trying to kill, you would defend him no matter what crime he committed! I can't help my feelings! I love you and I don't want you to get hurt, but I also love my father and I can't let him get hurt either. Please try to understand my dilemma."

Dan stood up and picked up his fallen sword, "Fine," he said, "Go heal your precious father then...I'll spare him this time, but I'm not always going to give into you, Bryana. I love you, but I'm not going to let your father destroy my village and my creatures. I will kill him if he picks a fight with me again. Goodbye."

"Wait! Say it properly!" she called after him.

Dan turned his back to her, "I can't right now, Bry. We have to figure out how this is going to work. I can't promise you I won't harm your father and you can't promise that he won't harm me. We will meet as planned tomorrow at noon. Goodbye."

Bryana watched as Dan as he walked away until she could not see him anymore. Tears filled her beautiful hazel eyes as she tended to her father's wounds. She could not understand how she could stop this horrible feud between her father and Dan. He was right. They needed to figure out what to do before it was too late. But what? What could possibly work?

**(A/N: Woo that was a woozy chapter to write! So now that we explored the different colors of Dan's personality, what do you guys think of him now? I'm not gonna make it that easy for them to be together of course. I have too much fun adding to their turmoil *cue evil laugh* please R&R!)**


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